


Cling To Me

by ifdragonscouldtalk



Series: Tumblr Prompts/Drabbles [6]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: M/M, Tony Stark Gets a Hug, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Touch-Starved, Touch-Starved tony
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-17
Updated: 2017-07-17
Packaged: 2018-12-03 09:46:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,311
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11529702
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ifdragonscouldtalk/pseuds/ifdragonscouldtalk
Summary: "Tony being worried that he's too clingy with his new boyfriend, (Steve or bucky) and them realising he loves being held and kissed but is too afraid to ask for it, he always looks so pleasantly surprised after they kiss him for no reason" Originally written for tumblr.





	Cling To Me

It does not take a long time living with Tony Stark to realize he’s not a confident person. In fact, it takes next to no time at all, once he’s out of the public eye, to realize that. Pretty much as soon as he’s in the elevator and the door closes, his shoulders are falling, and the inside of his lip is being chewed on. And sure, Tony Stark talks a big game, but, if you know him, you shouldn’t really believe him, because he is the master bullshitter (Pepper swears he learned it from Obie and scowls every time she says it). So, Tony Stark isn’t a confident guy, and it’s pretty much a fact.   
  
It takes a considerably longer time living with Tony Stark to realize that he is severely compromised in the intimacy department. In fact, it takes almost a year of dating after a year and a half of already knowing each other for Bucky to realize, and him pointing it out for Steve to realize. He could blame it on their severe lack of people skills, or the fact that they both had their own problems, but considering how much they both knew Tony Stark (and  _boy_ , did Bucky _know_  Tony Stark), it was more like them ignoring it. And Bucky wants to hit himself when he acknowledges that the only reason he noticed is because he was jealous. 

Because, see, Tony Stark did not  _touch_  people a lot. Or, Bucky realized as he started paying attention, Tony Stark did not  _initiate_  touches.   
  
It starts with Rhodes, with brief three day reprieves from deployments spent holed up in the living room of the tower, the blinds drawn down and  _Star Wars_  playing non-stop, making fun of  _The Fifth Element_ , dancing around with DUM-E. It’s Rhodes and Tony, cuddled up on the couch, constantly pressed together, hands or knees touching; it’s them dancing around the kitchen as they make food, gently touching each other as if just reassuring that they’re still there, still existing. It’s them pressed together, shoulders touching, as they work on Iron Man and War Machine, fingers brushing as they hand each other tools. It’s them ballroom dancing in the lab, the ‘bots twirling around and beeping to the music, and the laughter and joy on Tony’s face. It’s the lingering hug that Tony clings to, that he holds onto for weeks afterward, when Rhodes is gone and touches are sparse – that’s when the jealousy starts. Jealousy that he knows is stupid, because he and Steve share touches like that all the time: it’s a part of being brothers. That’s when Bucky starts to notice.

He notices the way sometimes Tony will be body checked into the couch by Natasha, falling into a tangled heap that Steve or Clint will eventually cover with a blanket, and no matter what Tony had been doing he melts into the touch, clings to her, practically purring. Clings to her in a way that he never clings to Bucky, unless it’s after sex or in the morning. He notices the way Clint will casually touch him, arm around his shoulders or waist, hands brushing, elbows linked together, how when they’re sitting and laughing their knees will be pressed together and Clint will lean in close. He notices how Tony melts into Thor’s hugs, tension disappearing, looking as though he could fall asleep, pathetically pleased. Notices how Pepper always runs an endearing hand through his curls, scratching at his scalp; how when they both have time they curl up on the couch or bed and watch  _Housewives_ and she’ll pet him, and he relaxes like a pleased kitten with the attention.

And then.

And then he notices  _more_ , things he should’ve noticed before. They’re  _boyfriends_ for God’s sake.

He sees the way Tony’s face lights up when Steve claps him on the shoulder or pulls him into a brotherly hug, how he lingers in the touches. How Natasha or Clint will grab his hand under the table when he’s being scolded in a meeting and his shoulders will instantly straighten and he’ll only let go when they get up to leave.

How he’ll stare at Bucky’s hands, or watch him sitting on the couch, and make no effort to bring their bodies closer together. His fallen face when Bucky inevitably climbs out of bed in the morning, severing contact. And how he’s never been the one to initiate kisses – only to finish them.

And Jesus, doesn’t that make him feel like an  _ass_.

“Tony,” he says absently one day as he’s watching TV. “Come here.” Tony makes a questioning noise, setting down his tablet and moving from the kitchen table over to the couch. Bucky grabs his wrist, pulling him down into his lap, and Tony makes a sound but melts into the embrace, turning to putty, pressing his cheek to Bucky’s shoulder and sighing.

“What’s this about?”

“We can’t cuddle?” Tony hummed happily, eyeing his lips for a moment before turning back to the screen.

“At least turn on something decent.”

“You mean like that  _Housewives_  crap you and Pepper like?”

“It’s better than this WWE crap that you and Steve like.”

“Stevie hates it. He just watches it ‘cause he likes me.” Tony hums again.

“He must like you better than I do then.”

“Damn straight!” Steve calls from another room, and Tony laughs as Clint shouts back “ _Language, Cap_!”

It’s quiet for awhile. Comfortable. Bucky listens to the sound of Tony’s breathing and Tony listens to the sound of his heart, his arms around Bucky’s chest. He notices, after a while, that Tony never makes any indications to move away, even though Bucky knows he’s working on a big project right now. He pokes him in the side.

“Hmm?”

“Kiss me.”

Tony turned his head slightly, keeping his eyes on the fight, and pressed a warm kiss to Bucky’s lips, sweet, tasting like coffee. So he had no problem with intimacy itself, or even initiating it; he must think that others didn’t _want_ it. That he couldn’t ask for it, or initiate it without permission, even if he wanted it.

And Bucky understood that, he really did. He got things like that.

He didn’t have a problem with that. He had figured from the beginning that Tony would be clingy – he always was, when he was tipsy or tired, all over like an octopus, demanding attention and body warmth. He had signed up for that, he liked that. He loved clingy Tony. If he needed to give Tony what he needed because Tony wouldn’t ask for it, he would. The whole team did. Tony didn’t ask for a lot, but they still gave.

So he held hands, and pulled into hugs, and yanked down to cuddle, and carried him to bed, and lingered in the mornings, and kissed liberally. And Tony was happier, calmer, more content. Reached out for Bucky’s hand sometimes, sank down next to him on the couch and pressed close.

“Aren’t I too clingy?” Tony asked one day, when they were watching a movie with the others, a whispered insecurity. Bucky shrugged.

“Nah. I love it.”

And that was that. Because Tony trusted him, and after all the betrayal he had witnessed, that was nice.

So Tony started to pull him to bed, and curl up next to him with a blanket with his head in his lap and let him pet his hair, and held hands while they were walking or when they were in meetings, and kissed him sweetly when they ran into each other.

And he started initiating touches with the others. Hugging Clint, linking arms with Nat, bumping shoulders with Steve.

It doesn’t take a long time living with him to realize Tony Stark isn’t a confident person. But slowly, together, Bucky and him are trying to change that.


End file.
